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Daryl Williams quits

PM - Monday, 5 April , 2004 18:18:27

Reporter: Catherine McGrath

MARK COLVIN: It's just six months since Daryl Williams left the job of Attorney-General and took over from Senator Richard Alston as Minister for Communications. Today, he's announced his intention to quit politics at the next election.

Mr Williams says it's the toll of the long air flights from Perth and continual absences from his family that's behind the decision.

But in the Canberra hothouse, that hasn't stopped the speculation as to why now, when those conditions have applied throughout his frontbench career, and he's already been re-selected as Liberal candidate in Tangney, the electorate he holds with an eight per cent margin.

The Opposition leapt on the announcement with talk of rats and sinking ships. Others have questioned whether Mr Williams was unhappy with his new portfolio.

From Canberra, Chief Political Correspondent Catherine McGrath.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: Eleven years in Parliament and eight years as minister, Daryl Williams says he's standing down for family reasons.

DARYL WILLIAMS: Being a member and being a minister from Western Australia involves a lot of time away from home, a lot of travel and I think while my family's been very supportive over the years, it's time I think that I gave something back to them.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: This could be interpreted though, as a time to leave because the Government's suddenly being challenged by the Opposition.

DARYL WILLIAMS: Ah, well that, from my perspective, that's just nonsense. I think the Howard Government will face a challenge as they have in the last four elections, but the Howard Government has achieved much for Australia and deserves to be re-elected.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: And he told the Prime Minister about his decision yesterday.

DARYL WILLIAMS: He is understanding of what is involved in being a member and being a minister from Western Australia.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: His announcement has caught his colleagues by surprise, and according to fellow West Australian Liberal frontbencher, Julie Bishop, he'll be greatly missed.

JULIE BISHOP: He's one of the finest legal minds in the country, and I think the Government, in fact the Parliament, will miss him. And I certainly will miss him. He's been a wonderful West Australian colleague.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: But why now, and why so suddenly? Most of his colleagues say they were genuinely surprised, but one Government source speculated that Daryl Williams felt he'd been sidelined by being moved to the Communications portfolio last year.

A suggestion rejected by Daryl Williams on 6PR radio in Perth.

DARYL WILLIAMS: I actually found it very challenging to move into an area that for the most part I was not familiar with. I had had some exposure to broadcasting as a lawyer, but not to the communications and information technology areas. It's been a very interesting six months and I hope the next few months continue to be as interesting as they have been.

The Communications portfolio touches everybody in their lives. We're dealing with telecommunications right this very minute and I think there's a lot to be done and I hope to be able to get on with it in the next few months.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: But Shadow Communications Spokesman Lindsay Tanner has accused Daryl Williams of doing nothing in the Communications portfolio since he took over last year.

LINDSAY TANNER: My concern is that there are crucial issues in the communications portfolio that have been left languishing.

A lot of issues around broadcasting digital TV, the anti-siphoning rules with respect to pay television and sport, and telecommunications competition, regulation, there's a lot of crucial issues and decisions that have been left in the in-tray on hold while Mr Williams has been slowly getting up to speed in the issue.

We now find that in reality what he's been preparing himself for is not making the big decisions, it's for his retirement. Well, that's fine, but the Government should immediately appoint a new Communications minister to start doing something.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: Daryl Williams will be best remembered as the Howard Government's Attorney-General, a post he held for seven years.

His relationship with the legal profession was mixed.

Law Council of Australia President, Bob Gotterson.

BOB GOTTERSON: He can regard his period in office with some substantial degree of pride because he was the second longest continuous holder of the office of Attorney-General, he had a vision for a national profession, which is important to us, and he was the prime mover behind the establishment of a Federal magistrates court.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: But he'll also be remembered as the Attorney-General who didn't defend Justice Michael Kirby.

Bob Gotterson again.

BOB GOTTERSON: If there was a point of difference where the Law Council and lawyers generally had with Daryl Williams, it was over his view that the Attorney-General had no role in defending the courts.

The traditional view, and I'm sure the majority of opinion supports it, is that the Attorney-General does have a role. That he ought, in defending the courts, cast off the political cloak, but Daryl Williams wanted to continue to wear the political cloak and not defend the courts in a case, for example, as Michael Kirby was attacked. We very much thought that he should have come forward and defended him.

MARK COLVIN: The President of the Law Council of Australia, Bob Gotterson ending Catherine McGrath's report.